Korea Connection

Jieun (Jennifer) Yang is a former Whitecliffe Korean
international student who is now back living in Seoul, working as a designer
and book illustrator.In 1996 Jennifer
enrolled in the Whitecliffe Foundation Certificate of Arts and Design, after
having been first introduced to New Zealand and our education system in Year 12
at Rangitoto College.

Jennifer is part of a long-standing connection
Whitecliffe has with a number of high-achieving Korean students who have made a
significant contribution to Whitecliffe, and to the creative arts sector in New
Zealand and overseas. She was a student at Whitecliffe for 3 ½ years completing
her Diploma of Arts and Design, and then returning to Kookmin University where
she graduated with a Bachelor of VisualCommunication Design in 2000. After graduation Jennifer worked as an in-house designer. She is now working as a freelance illustrator for children’s books and is
currently extending her product line.

We reconnected with Jennifer recently at the Education
New Zealand Alumni event in Seoul and at the Education Fairs in Seoul, where
she was both an interpreter and a graduate speaking of her experiences at
Whitecliffe. Having the perspective of a former student was very helpful to Korean students considering Whitecliffe for their tertiary study and we are very appreciative of Jennifer's assistance.

On reflecting on her time in New Zealand and at
Whitecliffe Jennifer went on to say “I really enjoyed the painting and design
classes, and remember all the tutors as being kind and supportive. The cultural
influence of New Zealand and of Whitecliffe meant that my work had a point of difference
when I returned to Korea and I feel that influence is still visible in my work.
Studying at Whitecliffe was a most valuable time in my life and I hope to
return for a visit one day.”